1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Community projects catch eye of The Carillon camera

When it came to construction of new businesses, old businesses turned over to new owners, old businesses launching expansions, or any of the other dozens of projects on the go at all times in Steinbach, there was never a slow week for Carillon photographers.

Major projects, like a new hospital addition, the building of a new school, seniors’ retirement home, an auto dealership, or a new mall warranted a sod turning picture at the beginning of the project, lots of construction pictures during the project and the bringing out of the scissors for an official ribbon cutting when construction was completed.

And so it was that the progress of Steinbach from a tiny village to a major city has been captured by photographers at The Carillon, in slow motion so-to-speak.

And if a picture is worth a thousand words, the stories about the people involved was always good for a few thousand more. Since its very beginning in 1946, this weekly newspaper has made every effort to provide coverage not only of big events but also day-to-day happenings, and interesting articles about the people who made those things happen.

And there never was a slow week as long as A.D. Penner was around. The flamboyant auto dealer believed it didn’t matter what people said about him, as long as they were talking about him.

Penner had a way of turning outrageous promotions into car sales, and was a champion of the print media at the same time. When Derksen Printers celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Carillon News, A.D. ran a congratulatory advertisement thanking the Derksen boys for helping him increase his business.

One fine May morning in 1958, thousands of people converged on Steinbach’s Main Street to witness a gala spectacle the likes of which had never been seen before. By the time that crowd had its fill of brass bands and speeches, had consumed 8,000 donuts and drank hundreds of gallons of coffee, the local car dealer had more than substantiated his claim that Steinbach was the undisputed “Automobile City” of Manitoba.

The grandeur of the event, complete with a 60-piece Minnesota band, a gospel singing troupe from Chicago, and federal and local politicians, could have left the impression the celebration marked a community achievement of gargantuan proportions.

In fact, the spectacle was A.D. Penner’s way of launching his new $150,000 Dodge garage, billed as the largest and most modern Dodge dealership in Western Canada.

The event was typical of the man who, from the humblest of beginnings, began a business career in the late 1930’s, which in two decades made cars synonymous with the name Steinbach.

From the time of his first car sale in 1936 to his decision in 1971 to get out of the automobile business, A.D. inevitably paved the way for new trends in selling, advertising and especially promotional techniques.

But few would be able to keep pace with A.D.’s hectic schedule or even come close to matching the total effort he put into the selling of a car.

Always one to realize the importance of public relations, Penner used to invite prospective customers over to his house for dinner. A full stomach helped to finalize many a deal without haggling or price cuts. It was no coincidence Penner’s new garage boasted a waffle shop on the mezzanine floor.

During an interview with The Carillon in 1971, A.D. recalled some of the things he did to sell the customer.

“I’ve run a milk separator, taken care of the kids, pitched sheaves, driven horses and just about anything else you can think of in order to sell a car, and I’ve found that it worked mighty well.”

Some of the promotional stunts and newspaper ads were singularly original, especially since they were used at a time when most rural businessmen gave scant thought to paid advertising.

One of the best known was the garage’s policy of paying for crows’ eggs, which at first brought in 25 cents apiece, and later netted the egg-picker 50 cents each.

“Go into business with your kids,” one ad proclaimed, accompanied by a caricature of a young boy climbing a tree to rob a fresh nest, while his mother waited anxiously below with basket ready.

But the car giveaways, which began in 1953, became the most lasting promotion. Always extensively advertised throughout the year and accompanied by a carnival-like atmosphere complete with free hot dogs, ice cream and doughnuts, the “Give away Day” placed Penner Dodge Chrysler uniquely among all dealers in Manitoba.

The chance to win a new car simply by filling in an entry blank at the gas pumps undoubtedly also contributed substantially to placing the garage among the town’s top volume gasoline outlets.

The man who coined the phrase, “Steinbach, the Automobile City,” and introduced the first Dodge cars to Steinbach, quietly removed himself from the local automotive scene in 1971.

While getting out of the automotive business, A.D. by no means planned to retire and said he would have more time to devote to Penner Construction Ltd., his road work company, and to his other job as Steinbach mayor.

W.A. (Jim) Neustaedter became president and general manager of Penner Dodge Chrysler when he bought the company from its founder in May of 1971, and at 36, became the province’s youngest Dodge dealer.

Serving the second half of a two-year term as president of the Steinbach Automobile Dealers Association in 1974, Neustaedter said he felt local dealers prospered largely because of their friendly competitiveness that permitted them to work together on promotions, while still pushing hardest on their own sales drives.

Penner Dodge Chrysler naturally participated in three large dealer promotions sponsored annually, but in addition staged its own extensive publicity during such events. Penner Dodge kept giving cars away along with free food and refreshments during special sales.

“We have to make things happen here so people will stop and look around.”